Issigonis' first cousin once removed was Bernd Pischetsreider, responsible . As a Morris Minor owner I appreciated it . In August 1959 the car was launched as the Morris Mini Minor and the Austin Seven, which soon became known as the Austin Mini. Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was born into the Greek city of Smyrna (now zmir) in the Ottoman Empire. Ford clinging to the T too long was the same sort of corporate inertia that had VW clinging to the Bug too long. Sir Alec Issigonis celebrates one of the many milestones of the Mini dynasty. His father Constantine Issigonis was a successful shipbuilding engineer, whose own father was from Paros. Its entirely believable that Issigonis would have been prosecuted if hed had gay sex. [4] His maternal ancestors originated in the Kingdom of Wrttemberg. MINI, official partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB, has unveiled its new London 2012 special, Keith Adams Well, Christmas and Boxing Day are out of the way and the, The replacement for the Austin-Healey 3000 never took off, thanks in part to a poor, British Motor Holdings the joining of BMC and Jaguar, The cars : Mini (ADO15) development story Part One, Concepts and prototypes : BMC 9X (1968-87), Blog : Why the Italians beat us to a supermini by a decade, History : The Road to Perdition Part One, Interview : Alec Issigonis on the BMC 1100, Archive : Mini Shortlisted For Car Of The Century, Archive : Mini still sold at a loss. He was a complex man, with a complex background, family story and career. Chinese Zodiac: Alec Issigonis was born in the Year of the Rabbit. In conjunction with Issigonis work, Lord contracted Pininfarina to lead the styling of BMCs new cars, starting with the conventionally engineered Austin A40 Farina in 1958.
Great Designer :: ALEC ISSIGONIS - WordPress.com That Alvis is one of those missed opportunities that ultimately doomed the company. It was at Alvis that Issigonis first worked with another of the influential characters of his career. They kept it several years until they decided they needed their 1st air-conditioned car a 66 LeMans. Autokonstrukteur, GBPortrt mit Zigarette- 1959. And the result was the creation of more than just an economical car. Born in Turkey, Issigonis come to England as a teenager. When we stopped sending children up chimneys we reemployed them to work or minis. It really showed up typical RWD cars of the time as being great space-wasters. By early 1957, prototypes were running, and by mid-1957 the project was given an official drawing office project number (ADO15) so that the thousands of drawings required for production could be produced. I dont have any great memories of the Mini to share, though you saw them everywhere.
Alec Issigonis - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia For many years he was known informally as Arragonis, and was either sufficiently confident in himself or sufficiently lacking in understanding to use that name himself on occasions. In 1936, he moved to Morris Motors Limited at Cowley working on an independent front suspension system for the Morris 10. I saw about 3 Americas in the wild that I can remember, and 1 example of the earlier MG 1100 Sport Sedan. His father, a successful and wealthy shipbuilding engineer, was of Greek origin but held a British passport. Prior to his death, Alec and his mother travelled overland to London. ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular Morris Minor. By 1938, Issigonis was lead engineer for steering and suspension for all the Morris car range. Who are the richest people in the world? Sir Alec Issigonis, in full Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, (born Nov. 18, 1906, Smyrna [now zmir], Tur.died Oct. 2, 1988, Birmingham, Eng. Having been a passenger in an early Austin Landcrab on several occasions I can confirm they are amazingly spacious inside, front and rear. By 1969 Fiat had also followed with the 128, and by 1974 Peugeot, VW and Renault had transverse engine hatchbacks as well. The 1100 and later 1300 outsold the Mini by a considerable margin and remained Britains best-selling car right through the 1960s. He failed his degree course but gained a diploma in Mechanical Engineering, at the third attempt, in 1928. Below are all possible answers to this clue ordered by its rank. Issigonis actually sketched the Minis original design with a pencil on a tablecloth. Austin 1800 (ADO18 Landcrab): Best In Class Or Just Plain Ugly?
History of MINI - Story, Heritage & Origins | MINI USA Towards the end of WW2, he began work on the Mosquito project, which ended up being launched in 1948 as the Morris Minor. He was retired from British Leyland in 1971, memorably being given a Meccano kit for his leaving present. . Issigonis was a remarkable engineer and obviously made his mark. By 1945, a full scale static prototype close to the familiar production form was completed. Constantine studied in England. It certainly appeared by the Maxi development era that Issigonis wanted to "do his own thing" as cost cutting and development costs spiraled. Was it to be front or rear engined? Issigonis who designed the Mini auto Crossword Clue The Crossword Solver found 30 answers to "Issigonis who designed the Mini auto", 4 letters crossword clue. In many ways, this car was a clear, but simpler, derivative of the work Issigonis had been doing at Alvis, and Issigonis recruited some former colleagues from Alvis to BMC to develop V6 and V4 engines for the projected BMC cars, possibly using the aborted work at Alvis as a basis. His little cars were a success despite him. The Mini was launched in 1959, and became instantly popular. By October 1957, Issigonis had shown Lord a working prototype and the decision had been made to manufacture the car, using the existing BMC A series engine. It was also a specialist low volume producer of expensive, exclusive sports saloons cars not now associated with Issigonis and was at the same crossroads that so many smaller, upscale producers had been. It did not have everything Issigonis wanted, as he originally planned this car to have a V4 engine rather than the BMC A series. He then moved on to Alvis, where he worked on the development of a luxury saloon, but the project had to be discontinued for cost reasons. However, at the end of 1956, following fuel rationing brought about by the Suez Crisis, Issigonis was ordered by Lord to bring the smaller car, XC/9003, to production as quickly as possible. In August 1971, Issigonis drove the 2 millionth ADO16 off the line, as the same time as a Mini Clubman, which was the 5 millionth front wheel drive BMC car, came off the line in the next building. Sir Alec was a combination of everything that was right AND wrong about the British car industry in his day. He did not want more conventional answers, without at least exploring some technical advances. Alec Issigonis The public don't know what they want; it's my job to tell them.
Alec Issigonis Quotes - BrainyQuote It was, though, used on the postwar MG Y Type saloons. Probably 30 of these made over the past dozen years, not quite Mini production numbers.. Another excellent piece Roger, and thank you for bringing it to us. The gearbox sharing the sump oil worked ok, but the transmission absolutely pulverised the lubricating qualities out of the oil, and it really required changing every 3000 miles if you wanted the thing to last. I think you can see a narrower car in one of the pre-production photos, above. Sir Alec Constantine Issigonis, born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire on November 18, 1906, is famous for designing the beloved Mini Cooper motor car. Issigonis (just in view at the far right) was not involved in the engineering of this car, but was able to start a long term friendship with Battista and Sergio Pininfarina,seenstanding next the car with Leonard Lord and George Harriman. But accounts do suggest it done in a pretty crass way. Issigonis studied engineering at Battersea Polytechnic in London. The rest is racing . His efforts were concentrated on two things continuing to promote the 1968 9X concept to BLMC, and working on the concept of a gearless version of the Mini, using a torque converter, that was not a technical success. Richard Bremneris well-known for being a highly-respected motoring scribe, but in his formative years, he worked in the employ of Austin-Rover. Morris 1100. If only it had had more power and better gearing. Dr.Ing. Been a fan of Alec Issigonis since I was 8 years old. Issigonis (standing) with the special at Shelsey Walsh hillclimb. The Renault 14 was transversely engined, from 1976. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. For his accomplishments, Queen Elizabeth knighted Issigonis in 1969. Despite its stated mission being to provide basic transport, this level of driving enjoyment, and capability, was like a non stop Christmas present. What a great. He was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. By 1941, Issigonis had started work on an advanced post war car, then codenamed Mosquito, which became the Morris Minor. [14], He was granted the rank of Knight Bachelor in the 1969 Birthday Honours[15] and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 22 July of the same year. Alec is also well known as, British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. Get In Touch Call or Email. Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was born in Smyrna, on November 18, 1906 and he is the man who designed one of the most beloved cars in the world, the legendary Mini Cooper! Sir Alec Issigonis. Alexandros Arnold Constantine Issigonis, more commonly known as Alec Issigionis, was born in Smyrna, Asia Minor, on November 18, 1906. Was it to be water or air cooled? An amazing man, and someone who would probably never rise to prominence in todays auto industry. The Crossword Solver found 30 answers to "an alec issigonis family car launched in 1969 (6,4)", 10 letters crossword clue. In 1952, the year BMC was formed, he moved to Alvis where he designed an advanced saloon, and experimented with interconnected independent suspension systems.
From London to Longbridge: The streets that made Mini During this time he started to build a special sprint racer with a friend. In later years, the car would become known simply as the Mini. Alec Issigonis, the brilliant British designer of the Morris Minor and the Mini, is one of the commanding figures in the history of automobile design and engineering. The XC (experimental car) code names assigned for the new cars were XC/9001, for a large comfortable car, XC/9002, for a medium-sized family car, and XC/9003, for a small town car.
10 Things Everyone Forgot About Mini And Its Cars There were, as CC has seen, many and varied reasons for the failure of the Landcrab and Maxi: the control (or rather the lack of it) exercised by Lord and Harriman over Issigonis; the inherited components; and marketing and production issues. Sir Alec Issigonis hadn't even seen a car until he was 12 years old. (first posted 10/24/2016) Alec Issigonis, along with Sir Henry Royce and perhaps Colin Chapman, has the greatest name recognition in the UK for any British car designer or engineer. I hardly ever drove a Mini or an 1100, but many miles of driving a Landcrab made me understand why it was so very good, in spite of some engineering shortcuts. Issigonis would work on the 9X programme, which included a replacement Mini and a new and innovative gearless transmission system.
Contact - Oxbotica Even as Britain entered the 1960s, product planning remained something of an alien concept to its native carmakers, the majority of whom viewed such matters as being the sort of recondite nonsense invented in the United States, and best left there. The ways in which things went sour for BMC , and for Alec himself, are all too well known: but with this little car, they surely both earned a big place in history. When he turned his attention to the ADO16, Issigonis continued his obsession with the maximisation of passenger space combined with the best possible road holding. Biography: Sir ALEC issigonis - The designer of Britain's favourite cars, Britain's favourite car designer . Happy birthday to the Mini! As you know I was away when the little ceremony took place to mark your retirement and I have, of [], Sir Alec Issigonis, designer of the Mini, among other cars, is to remain design consultant with British Leyland after he goes into semi-retirement at the end of the month. Well, he went down in history as the father of the Mini and was even raised to nobility for his services. He [], DAILY EXPRESS By David Benson Harry Webster is a quiet, unassuming, generous man of 54. By the mid 1950s, as Europe got back on its feet after the war, there had been many attempts to define the modern car, but none was proving to be dominantly successful. He was flattered to be copied, though. Issigonis spent his early years as an engineer with Morris Motors working on steering and suspension. Moulton was a scion of the family behind the Avon tyres company and a respected suspension system engineer in his own right who had worked extensively on the concept of rubber as a suspension medium, before working on the hydrolastic and later still the hydragas systems. It did get Hydrolastic eventually, then lose it again. Oak placed another engineer, Jack Daniels, alongside him to keep his feet on the ground.